The Nebraska men's basketball team trailed No. 5 Illinois by just six three minutes into the second half, but a series of runs buried the Huskers in an 86-70 loss to the Illini Thursday night.
Kofi Cockburn scored nine straight points after Nebraska cut the lead to six, and Illinois scored six consecutive points four minutes later. The Huskers continued to hang around until a late 12-3 Illini run put the game away.
The win came less than two weeks after the Illini needed overtime to escape Lincoln with a five-point victory. Illinois improved to 17-6 on the season and remained in second place in the Big Ten standings with a 13-4 record in conference play.